In principle, you may reproduce, or give others permission to reproduce, parts or the whole of your thesis but you must consider:

third party works and the permission you have been given to use them - if your permission does not extend to the intended use, send a second permission request to the owner of the third party copyright work

any plans to apply for a patent application, meaning that you must postpone communication of your research through an embargo

Discuss any of the above issues with your supervisor.

Publishing in a journal

Journals generally accept papers based on work already written up in a thesis. Individual journal polices on what a journal considers to be prior publication can be found within the ‘information for authors’ section of the journal website. The United Kingdom Council of Research Repositories (UKCoRR) have produced a spreadsheet summarising the policies of some publishers towards prior publication within a thesis that you can use as guidance.If a publisher is concerned that your thesis has already been published online, you may apply for an embargo.

Your paper should be a reworking of the material in your thesis and written to conform to the journal's style guide. The course (publication section), offered by the Graduate School, offers helps and tips.

If you intend to publish your thesis or are approached by a publisher, request a copy of the publishing agreement before signing it - make sure that publication is in your best interests and will not restrict your future use of the content.